Sasha Lucas
In Motion Newspaper Editor
The Southeast Museum of Photography is showcasing its Spring 2016 film series through April 20, with “It’s a Small World” which screens on select Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and “Never Before, Never Again,” also on select Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s a Small World” pursues the issues of globalization and analyzes the effects it has on essential matters such as human rights, food and human health.
Kim Hover, of the SMP Marketing and Communications department, is also the curator for “It’s a Small World.”
“We’re all interconnected. We are finding globalization always comes back to us. We have lost our jobs to manufacturing in China and farming in Mexico, which does help our standards of living. The low cost of jobs there helps keep costs down here,” she says, explaining the theme. “’The True Cost’ documentary, as well as all of the other films, explore how it’s a small world because we are all interconnected by it. It may be positive for us here, but negative there.” Andrew Morgan, internationally recognized for his focus on telling stories for a better tomorrow, directed the film, which screens March 2.
Another offering in the lineup is “Nothing Like Chocolate” from director Kum-Kum Bhavanni. It screens March 23 at 2 p.m. and exposes the effect the chocolate industry has on child slavery. Meanwhile “Thirst,” showing April 6, from director Alan Snitow examines the domestic and global challenges of providing clean water to areas affected by population growth and scarcity. Global corporations are turning water into “blue gold,” the oil of the 21st century.
Both film series have attracted good attendance so far, says Eric Breitenbach, a Senior Professor of Photography at DSC and freelance videographer. “We have about 20 people who have been coming to every screening since we started the film series.”
Breitenbach is curator for the “Never Before, Never Again” film series. One unique quality of this series is that it also includes film introductions and post screening discussions lead by professors in that field.
“Maggie Karta is going to lead the Q&A discussion for ‘The Last Temptation of Christ,’ and she is a professor of religious studies in the Quanta department,” Breitenbach says.
Discussions after the films can last up to an hour because people want to share their opinions. “One of the characteristics of good art is that you can show three people the same thing, yet each will have a different opinion on it,” he says, adding that “We try to show films that most college students will not have seen. They are frequently independent, foreign and out of the mainstream.”
“Never Before, Never Again” is a theme based on movies that are controversial, radical, unusual and unique. The SMP uses a different theme each semester, starting with 30 and then narrowing it down to 12. “We show films that are not like any other,” says Breitenbach, who leads the discussions.
“One of the most controversial movies ever made was ‘Titicut Follies,’ which is a documentary from 1967 that was banned for over 15 years because it was so offensive in the way the inmates were treated. The people whot were working in the insane asylum just let the filmmakers in. They didn’t think that there was anything wrong.”
The director of “Titicut Falls” is the immortal Frederick Wiseman and it will screen March 30.
“Blackfish is one of the few documentary films that have ever been made that have really changed things. It really made an impact,” Breitenbach continues.
“Blackfish” from director Gabriela Cowperthwaite will screen April 6. Released in 2013 it includes interviews, expert testimonies and film footage to piece together the story of Tilikum, an orca whale held by Florida-based-company, Seaworld. The film ignited the animals’ rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to publically support the filmmaker and resulted in a negative snowball effect on the reputation of the theme park giant.
The SMP and Breitenbach try to correlate exhibits and themes based on what is relevant and occurring in modern culture. Now in its fifth year, movies are free for anyone to attend, but the museum pays approximately $200 to $250 to screen each selection. Some titles are as high as $350. Breitenbach says, “It costs about $3,000 a series, but with over 750 people attending, it’s less than going to the movie theater, and we are happy to do it.”
For information visit www.smponline.org/films or call 386-506-4475. All screenings take place in the Madorsky Theater located in the Hosseini Center, Building 1200. Admission is free, but donations to the SMP help underwrite the cost of the series.
Please see this month’s In Motion Calendar section for all dates and showings for the series.